Lori Schappell George Schappell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dori Schappell (George) September 18, 1961 Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, United States |
Lori and George Schappell (born as Lori and Dori Schappell; September 18, 1961) are conjoined twins. George has performed as a country singer. As of 2022, they are the oldest living conjoined twins in the world.[1] Guinness World Records noted that George's gender transition made him and Lori the first set of conjoined twins to identify as different genders.[2]
George has designed support equipment for people with physical disabilities, including a specialized wheelchair and a mobility aid for dogs.
As a country singer, George has performed widely in the United States and visited Germany and Japan and in 1997, won an L.A. Music Award for Best New Country Artist. He sang "Fear of Being Alone" over the credits of Stuck on You, a comedy film about a pair of fictitious conjoined twins.[3]
Lori acts as George's facilitator. She works in a laundry, arranging her workload around his singing commitments. She says that, as a fan of his, she pays to attend concerts, just like all the other fans, simply making herself quiet and "invisible" while he is performing.[4]
As conjoined twins, Lori and George have appeared in a number of television documentaries and talk shows. They have also acted in an episode of the television series Nip/Tuck, in which they played conjoined twins Rose and Raven Rosenberg.
On June 21, 2007, Lori and George took part in the grand opening of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not ! Odditorium" in Times Square in New York City. This is the first time they were billed as Lori and George Schappell.[5]
Born as Lori and Dori Schappell, they are craniopagus conjoined twins joined at the head, but having very different personalities and living—insofar as possible—individual lives. George is also unable to walk due to spina bifida.[6] The first 24 years of their life they spent in an institution for the mentally disabled. Since 1988 they have lived, without assistance, in high-rise apartments for the elderly in Reading, Pennsylvania.[7] As a mark of individuality, and disliking the fact that their names rhymed, George first chose to go by the name Reba, after his favorite singer Reba McEntire. By 2007, he had come out as a trans man and preferred to be publicly known as George. Guinness World Records noted that his gender transition made him and Lori the first set of conjoined twins to identify as different genders.[8]
Lori and George live in a two-bedroom apartment, each maintaining their own private space. They have several pets. Lori is a trophy-winning bowler. They respect each other's privacy in terms of work time, recreation and relationships. Lori has had several boyfriends and was engaged, but lost her fiancé in a motor-vehicle accident. They celebrated their 50th birthday with a trip to London.[9]
Lori and George have appeared in the following programs or articles: